Canon PowerShot G12 versus rival model with similar score

Further readings for the Canon Powershot G12

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

Canon’s PowerShot G15 is the latest iteration of the popular G-series compacts aimed at enthusiasts. It packs a number of refinements over its predecessor, not the least being a new f/1.8-2.8 high-speed zoom, larger, high-resolution screen and a smaller, more compact body. It also marks the move from CCD to a Canon made CMOS with a fourfold increase in maximum sensitivity and full HD (1080p) video capture. Will the new Canon show any advance in image quality over the earlier G12? Read on to find out.

Canon updates the high-end two-year-old PowerShot G12 with the PowerShot G15. The latest addition to the PowerShot G-series slims down in size, but increases in performance: including faster and brighter optics and higher Full HD video resolution. Check out the highlights of the PowerShot G15 in DxOMark’s preview.

With an overall DxOMark score of 47, the Pentax Q is well-placed among cameras with sensors smaller than 4/3. In fact, its results are equivalent to the best compacts in this line (e.g., Canon Powershot G12 and Powershot S95) — not bad at all for a sensor that is smaller than most compact sensors (4.6 x 6.2 mm for the Pentax Q vs 5.8 x 7.9 for the Olympus XZ1).

The Nikon Coolpix P7000 was launched last year to clearly compete with the Canon Powershot G12 on the high-end compact market. Despite reasonably good specs, the P7000 wasn’t really well received because of some usability and responsiveness issues. So, we were quite interested to see what this new Nikon Coolpix P7100 would offer.

It’s rare in the world of photography for a manufacturer to come up with an entirely new product line from scratch, and it’s equally rare for a famous manufacturer such as Nikon (the world market leader) to offer a new lens mount (Nikon CX). This makes the launch of the Nikon 1 line (Nikon J1 and Nikon V1) a major event in photography this fall.

High-end bridge sensors: Questions of size and performance

“Travel light.” This was the motto of pocket-sized cameras whose layout and controls were a perfect match to those of much bulkier DSLRs. Moreover, up to a few months ago, buying a DSLR was quite expensive. All this justifies the existence of a market for compact-sized cameras, based on compact sensors, but using reflex-style commands and interfaces.